U2'S New Album was Worth the Wait

I've been a die-hard U2 fan since the mid-1980s and have purchased every album they have released over the years and have enjoyed almost all their music. They are an amazing band that I've had the privilege of seeing almost a dozen times in college, including once at the Super Bowl in January of 2002.

The band has also been a big part of my kids lives as I bought several of their Live DVDs in the early 2000s, including the Vertigo tour and Live at Slane Castle. I spent many evenings and more car rides than I can remember watching these videos with my kids when they were still in their pre-elementary school stage.

One of my great memories is seeing U2 in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium for their No Line on the Horizon tour. I'm not a huge fan of that particular album, but the tour performance was great, especially the chance to hear Ultraviolet live again. Ultraviolet from the Achtung Baby tour was an example of U2 at the peak of their power.

That's why I was excited to hear that U2 was releasing their new album. I had been tracking stories and rumors of it for over a year and was disappointed when it was not released in early 2014. I liked the song Invisible but apparently the band was not happy with the reception of it. They kept working on it until they felt it was almost perfect and in my opinion they really got it right.

I love this album and have been listening to it on a daily basis since it was released. The more I listen, the more I appreciate the album. Just like Achtung Baby, there is not a bad, or even average, song on the album. Every song is great and the album has a great combination of rythym, rock and pop. These are songs that are going to translate very well into the tour.

I know some people are upset at the way U2 released the album, but on this topic I'm inclined to agree with my daughter who said "Wow, that's really nice" when I told her Bono and crew released the album for free. While some reviewers have analogized it to spam, I think of it more as the band giving back to its fans after all we have given the band over the years. I thought it was a great gesture and I'm excited about their upcoming World Tour. I can't wait to see u2 in person again and I'm excited to hear them play their Songs of Innocence live.

This is a 5-Star Album from top to bottom. Great music, complex with some of the best lyrics in U2's history. A truly inspired work of art from the band and proof that they have no desire to go quietly into the night.